I’m always wary of the ‘iconic’ word. Rarely is it used in the way as defined by the Oxford Dictionary or even in the spirit of its intended meaning.

For me it means a symbol or image that commands immediate recognition worldwide as the original. Authentic. Unmistakable – past and present.

Too often it is applied to a person, image or brand that is anything but iconic…. if you ask I’ll share my gallery of ‘iconic brand’ mis-users.

However, 50 years ago today The Beatles released their first LP. The cover shot was snapped by the surrealist photographer Angus McBean in 5 minutes on the staircase of the then EMI HQ in Manchester Square.

It is one of the iconic images of the pop age.

The slightly less mop haired band mimicked their own image in a later Greatest Hits album cover and the Sex Pistols mimicked it again a couple of decades later.

But 50 years ago The Beatles did something that I doubt they realised was to be their first iconic moment and created an image that has echoed down the years.

This article was originally posted on the CRICKET blog: 22 March 2013